This is important because while we MagSafe lovers had to make do with it with MagSafe Android phone cases In recent years there has always been a caveat that these cases may not work all MagSafe products. With Qi2 Ready cases, you can rest assured that they will work with Qi2 chargers.
It is worth noting that OnePlus’ latest flagship, the OnePlus 13Is not However, OnePlus does sell a Qi2 Ready phone a magnetic housing to enable Qi2-like Charge. This is the old approach of adding magnetic charging to phones with basic Qi support, namely will Do not turn your phone into a Qi2 device. Even though it feels similar, you may not benefit from faster charging speeds, it isn’t as power efficient, and it isn’t guaranteed to work with all Qi2 accessories. Golden says Qi2 Ready phones have “special features” to enable proper Qi2 functionality when paired with a Qi2 Ready case.
Unfortunately, the magnetic function disappears as soon as you remove these Qi2 Ready cases from the phone. For most people, this may not be a problem. It’s hard to find current statistics, but a 2023 YouGov poll found this to be roughly the case 68 percent of Americans use a cell phone caseand a 2017 study found this number at 79 percent. But it stinks for those of us who don’t like using a case. Pour one out for the caseless fiends.
I can remember dozens of times when I had to remove my iPhone case to connect a wireless microphone to the USB-C port or mount the phone on a gimbal. Removing the case didn’t change anything since iPhones have built-in magnets, but that’s something will Impact on Qi2 Ready phones, and it’s a frustrating limitation.
I think Qi2 enabled phones are an acceptable interim measure. Considering it’s cheaper than embedding magnets in a phone, I hope that’s what it means more budget and mid-range smartphones can enjoy Qi2 functions.
However, I fear that this will cause confusion for the average person. New phones will support Qi but not Qi2, but they will have Qi2 Ready cases to enable Qi2 – just writing this made my head hurt. If only they had native Qi2 support, magnetic charging would work with any Qi2 accessory at all times. Easy as pie.
The good news is that Samsung and Google have committed to releasing official Qi2 Android phones in 2025 Is on the way, although it seems bizarre that Samsung might not introduce it on its flagship smartphone series.
I’ll settle for a magnetic case (again), but for heaven’s sake, can someone just give me my magnetic Android already?
